Romney has problems to solve in campaign

Updated 11:38 pm, Sunday, August 26, 2012

TAMPA, Fla. — Four years ago, Hurricane Gustav threatened the Gulf of Mexico as Republicans were getting ready to open their national convention in St. Paul, Minn.

GOP nominee John McCain decided to cancel the first night of the four-night event.

“It just wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster,” McCain told Fox News.

Fast-forward to 2012.

Tropical Storm Isaac threatens to swipe the palm fronds from Tampa. For a second time, a natural disaster has slashed a Monday from the Republican National Convention. This go-round, it would not be good for Mitt Romney if America witnessed festivities elsewhere while nature turns the Republican Convention into a sodden disaster.

Talk about bad luck. Joe Biden, the Democrats' gaffe meister, had planned on touching down in Tampa to tweak Republicans on their long prom night and demonstrate just how negative the Obama White House is willing to go. The world will never know what sort of inappropriate, vaguely race-baiting and factually vacuous comment Biden might have bellowed. Because of heavy rains, the White House canceled plans to have Biden rain on the Republicans' parade.

When oh when will Romney get traction in this election season? Friday, Romney made the mistake of mentioning that, while in Michigan, “No one's ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that we were born and raised.” He later said it was a joke. No, it was a mistake.

In March, Romney whisperer Eric Fernstrom made the ultimate gaffe when he told CNN that after the right-tilting GOP primaries, “Everything changes. It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again.”

Right now, Etch A Sketch sounds good. Erase all those squiggly lines and show the bold outline of a man who, unlike the incumbent, can instill in corporations the confidence to hire and spend.

Sunday afternoon, convention delegates happily ignored weather warnings as they looked forward to the November election. The rancor of a hard-fought primary seemed far away.

Sutter County (California) Supervisor James Gallagher said he feels better about Romney than he felt about McCain in 2008. I ask: What does Romney have to do this week? “He has to come across as grounded, easy to relate to,” wife Janna Gallagher answers.

That seems to be Team Romney's thinking, but I think Romney should stop trying so hard to come across as the guy next door. Romney and his wife, Ann, were on Fox News talking about how they like to shop at Costco, as if that's going to win him votes. Please. He's not everyman. He's not a regular guy.

Romney's a successful businessman who knows a lot about how entrepreneurs succeed. He should know that you don't close the sale by getting clients to like you. You close the sale by demonstrating you can solve their problems.